Wistfully Me
by xXx Get Over It xXx
Summary: Evangeline Quay can't seem to help it. She's shy, lonely and scorned by her family for her unusual visions. But in her sixth year at Hogwarts, the Marauders hit her life like a firecracker. Will Evie be able to meet the challenge? Marauder Era, Sirius/OC
1. Leaving

A/N: Evie's last name is pronounced 'cw-AY' (like in 'quail') even though its spelled the same way as quay meaning dock.

Wistfully Me

"You wanted to see me, Father?" Evangeline Quay carefully studied her sensible, black shoes, rather then looking into her father's face.

A minute ticked past as Edmund Quay, American Wizards' ambassador to Europe, continued writing, the nub of his quill scratching evenly on his parchment.

"Evangeline," he said at last, laying the quill down. "You are eleven years old now, I believe."

"Yes, Father," Evie said, not surprised at the use of her full name. No one had called her Evie since her mother died, five years before.

"And you have failed to show any sign of the Sight. This is not at all satisfactory. For centuries, every third generation, there has been a Seer in the Quay family."

"Father, I--"

"Silence, girl. We have discussed your . . . peculiarity, and it is not the Sight in any form. It is not a topic that is open to debate. Now listen to me. As you have no need of any special training, you will attend an ordinary school."

A little worm of relief wiggled its way through Evie, easing the tension in her back. She had dreaded attending Chicago Seer's Academy, a dark, rather dismal place full of the drifting smoke of incense and the murmur of hushed voices. She'd been there once, when her father had wanted her tested for the Sight.

"Will I be going to Salem Witches Institute, then?"

A slight frown creased Ambassador Quay's brow, as if the mere mention of the school. He leaned forward angrily. "Don't be any more a fool then you must, child! Even if you have only mediocre talent and no aptitude for the family calling, I will not have a daughter of mine attending that substandard institute!"

Evie bit her lip, nodding, eyes once more on her shoes. If only she could do something, _anything _right in her father's eyes! The only thing she wanted was to please him. Who could have guessed that that would be an impossible task.

As usual, the ambassador seemed unaware that his daughter was near tears, and only continued on with his rant, standing up from his chair to pace the room.

"You will be attending Hogwarts, just as I did, shameful though it is for one who should have the Sight. I suppose that the Seer's blood has run so thin that you will never have the ability, and even if you did, it would be a weak echo of the glory of your ancestors." He rounded on her, and waved an accusatory finger inched from her face.

_How did he get to be an ambassador if he acts like this? _Evie wondered suddenly, then squashed the disloyal thought.

"That, Evangeline, is what your _condition _is! A mockery of ages past."

She felt her face go scarlet, her temper rising. The condition. The peculiarity. The oddity. The quirk in the gift. The curse. All names that her father had for her unusual gift, and none of them deserved. Angry tears rose to her eyes, but she dashed them away. She couldn't, _couldn't _lose her temper with her father. He would never forget such a display of childish pique.

So she bit her tongue, nodded as evenly as she could, and left the ambassador in peace.

_Oh, I wish that mother were still alive, _she thought, remembering the happier days when her father still laughed, and remembered that his daughter was more to him then an obligation and a disappointment.

_Well, that's it then. I'll do everything I can at Hogwarts. I'll be the best in every subject, never fail a test. I'll _make _him remember that he loves me._

-

"Come along, Evangeline. Its nearly eleven, and I have an appointment that I don't want to miss."

Father and daughter stood facing one another on the train platform. Evie didn't know what to do. What was it possible to say to a man who was glad to be rid of you? 'I love you, daddy dearest' seemed almost laughably out of place in their situation. She settled for standing on tiptoe and kissing his cheek, saying, "See you at Christmas, Father."

"No, you won't," he replied, twin vertical line etched in their usual place between his brows. "I have a rather important conference that I will be attending in Bulgaria. over Easter, I will be staying with your aunt, and she has expressed the wish that I not bring you along. She seem to think that she would be unable to maintain a cordial facade with you after you so disappointed us a--"

"On the train! Now!" A rather high-pitched voice commanded from several feet away. Evie turned to see a sharp-faced woman all but dragging two boys behind her. "No!" she screeched, making a grab for the younger one as he attempted to pull himself free of her claw-like grasp. "Not you, Regulus! Your good for nothing brother!" She rounded on the older boy, who looked as though he was desperate to get away from her as quickly as he could. "Sirius. On the train _now. _You behave yourself. One toe out of line and there will be hell to pay when you come home!"

"Love you too, Mother," the boy said easily, pulling his trunk toward the gleaming Hogwarts Express and disappearing quickly inside. "See you next summer, _Regulus._" There was a clear note of dislike in his tone.

"Evangeline," said Ambassador Quay. "I don't want you associating with that boy. He looks like trouble through and through."

"Yes, Father," Evie sighed, thinking, _As if I'll ever get up the nerve to talk to _anyone, _let alone him._

As the ambassador strode away from her, she turned and followed the boy onto the train. Loving parents waved goodbye to their children as the steam engine pulled away from the platform.

Evie stood by the window in the door, watching, frozen, as the train picked up speed and the landscape began to blur.

_What have I gotten myself into? _she thought, then shook her head and turned away to find a compartment.

* * *

A/N: There will be more interaction with Marauders etc. next chapter. Please be patient with Evie! If you want to understand her a bit better, read the little blurb I put up on my profile about her.

Leave a review to let me know how I'm doing!

-Sabine


	2. Arriving

In the end, she sat in a compartment full of seventh years too busy to take note of the small girl who had taken a seat near them and immediately hidden herself behind a book. The journey seemed to take forever and a day as the brilliantly red steam engine puffed its way through the rolling hills.

A kindly witch with a trolley passed by, selling sweets and things for lunch, but Evie didn't think that she'd be able to keep anything down. She knew all about Hogwarts from her father's description. He'd been in Ravenclaw, where all the clever people were sorted.

_If only there were a house for people who just wanted to keep to themselves, _she thought. She knew that she wasn't brainy enough to follow her father into Ravenclaw, or subtle enough for Slytherin, or brave enough for Gryffindor, or industrious enough for Hufflepuff. What if the Sorting Hat were placed on her head, only to announce that she didn't belong anywhere at all? She'd die of shame. Then a thought struck her.

What if her strange talent would be enough to earn her a place in one of the houses? For all that her father was always down on her visions, they weren't really that much different from the Sight. But what kind of Seer Saw as she did? Not into the future, but into the past?

-

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!" the voice boomed out of the darkness at Hogsmeade station, and Evie could have sworn she heard an echo he spoke so loud. Not wanting to be left behind, she hurried toward the huge, shadowy figure bearing a lantern, who seemed to be the one from whom the call originated. The light was held such that it didn't shine on his face, though a tangled beard with what looked like burrs stuck in it was visible.

When a group of roughly forty eleven-year-olds was grouped around the enormous man and all the returning students had disappeared off toward a stand of trees that were beginning to turn, he spoke once more.

" 'Ello there. I'd be Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at 'Ogwarts. Seeing as its yer first year, you'll be crossing th' Black Lake wi' me ternight. Four ter a boat, and mind ye don't rock 'em. Just a pace or two this way, and we'll see th' Lake."

It might have been a pace or two for Hagrid, Evie and the other first years were forced to jog to keep up with him. About a hundred yards from the station, they came, rather abruptly, to a dock lined with small boats. At Hagrid's call of, "Well, then, step lively!" Evie and the others warily clambered into various boats. She shared with two laughing boys, one of whom she recognized as Sirius, the boy from the station, and a very pretty girl, whose curling red hair made Evie suddenly wish that she could exchange her own long, dark braid for such lovely hair.

"I'm Lily Evans," said the red-head cheerfully, very pointedly ignoring Sirius and the other boy's antics.

Evie gave her an approximation of a smile, and managed to force out the words, "I'm Evangeline Quay."

The boy with Sirius turned to look at her, still grinning broadly. Evie could feel her cheeks burning. "Your accent's strange," he said.

She mumbled something that might have been, "I'm American," but came out more like, "Mmmarken."

"Never heard of 'Markens' before," the boy teased.

Evie slid further down in her seat, wishing that she could think of something witty to say back -- no, wishing that she weren't so shy that she was unable to say anything back, witty or otherwise.

"Shut up, Potter," Lily said coldly.

"Hard luck, James," Evie heard Sirius murmur before the boats pulled away from the dock as if of their own accord, spreading out in a V formation behind the boat Hagrid had to himself, like a flock of migrating birds.

As the little fleet moved smoothly out across the water, Evie sat up all the way and stared, dumbfounded, across the Lake to the castle beyond.

Hogwarts wasn't exactly beautiful -- not what one would call picturesque -- but no one could deny that it was grand, the seemingly countless towers added hither and there with extravagant abandon. She was so busy gaping at the castle that she didn't notice that they'd landed until Lily tapped her shoulder, making her jump.

"Tha's th' way to the Entrance 'All," Hagrid said, pointing to and imposing set of double doors. "Just wait there 'til Professor McGonagall comes for ye ter be sorted."

_Sorted . . . _As Evie walked into the Entrance Hall with her fellow first years, her heart began to pound.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'll update tomorrow too if I get the chance!

-Sabine


	3. Sorting

A/N: I apologize in advance for the Sorting Hat's song. I'm not really that good at poetry . . .

* * *

Evie never knew how she managed those few, torturous minutes of standing in the Entrance Hall, just waiting. None of the others seemed to be able to speak, either. Even Sirius and the other boy, James Potter, had ceased laughing.

Finally, a tall woman who held her back as straight as if her spine had been replaced by a yard stick strode purposefully into the Hall, and surveyed them all with a slightly imperious look in her beady eyes. It was hard to say which was more sharply pointed, her chin, her nose, or the tip of her tall hat.

"I am Professor McGonagall," the woman said. "In a minute's time, you will follow me into the Great hall, where you will each be sorted into one of the four houses. They are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. During your time at Hogwarts, you will spend the majority of your leisure time in your house common room. Acts of intelligence and bravery will earn your house points, while any misdeeds will cause them to be taken away. Now, line up in pairs and be ready to follow me."

There was a great shuffling of feet and scrambling about in an attempt to find a partner -- not to be first in line -- not to be last -- not to be shunted out of line again once there. When things settled down once more, Evie found herself next to a friendly looking, round-faced girl with straight dark hair down to her chin. She smiled at Evie, who quickly dropped her gaze to the floor.

"We will now enter the Great Hall," Professor McGonagall declared. "There will be no talking or pushing. Now, follow me."

Trying not to feel or look like a sheep being led to slaughter, Evie stared at the back of the boy in front of her's head. If she didn't take her eye's off his rumpled brown hair, then she wouldn't be able to see the older students all watching her and the other first years. This tactic very nearly resulted in her walking into him when Professor McGonagall gestured for the new students to halt. Standing slightly on tip-toe, Evie caught a glimpse of a battered old hat, sitting on a three-legged stool. As she watched, a slit near the brim opened, and the Sorting Hat -- for it could be no other -- began to sing.

_As every year, you who look at me  
Think, perhaps, its strange too see,  
A talking hat before you now,  
I'm no beauty, that I know,  
But I'm a Thinking Hat,  
And quite good, at that.  
I've never made a wrong decision,  
For I've been granted clear vision,  
Into your heart and mind,  
To learn what's there behind.  
Perhaps you'll be in Ravenclaw,  
Home to those with wit to awe,  
Or maybe it will be Slytherin,  
Where the wily will meet their kin,  
Or you might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Those who never fear work that's rough.  
And then, you might find your home in Gryffindor,  
Where those of bravery will always come to the fore,  
Which ever house, which ever road,  
You'll meet some friends to share the load,  
So try me on, give me a go,  
For wherever you belong, I'm sure to know.  
Four pillars to hold up our school, strength from within.  
I've said my piece, told my tale. Let the Sorting now begin._

With that, the hat closed its mouth, and sat still once more on the stool in, if it were possible for a hat to so look, an expectant manner.

Professor McGonagall spoke once more. "When I call your name, you will take a seat upon the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat upon your head. When you have been Sorted, you will join your house table."

The professor unrolled a long piece of parchment, and pronounced, "Abbey, Kendrick."

A frightened looking boy stumbled out of line and up to the stool. Professor McGonagall lowered the Hat onto his head, and after a moment, it cried, "RAVENCLAW!"

Beaming, the boy placed the Hat back on the stool and bounded off to the loudly cheering Ravenclaw table.

Ahearn, Rosana became a Hufflepuff, then Aiken-Floss, Ermintrude, a girl who had a rather superior swagger to her steps, became a Slytherin, followed by Bagley, Marion, another Hufflepuff.

Black, Bellatrix, who was, if anything, even more arrogant looking than Ermintrude. No one seemed at all surprised when Bellatrix Black was declared "SLYTHERIN!" by the Hat.

"Black, Sirius."

At the name, Evie looked up, interested. Were they twins? Cousins? Even related at all? Black was, after all, a fairly common name.

Sirius sat down on the stool and closed his eyes, obviously concentrating very hard on something.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, and silence momentarily filed the Hall, followed by a storm of cheering from the Gryffindor table.

Bowman, Alice, the friendly girl who stood beside Evie in the line was next. She became a Hufflepuff, and skipped off to join her table looking pleased.

The next person who Evie recognized to be sorted was Lily Evans from the boat. She followed Sirius Black to the Gryffindor table in an instant.

A long portion of the list went by without event, until Lockhart, Gilderoy, was proclaimed to be a Hufflepuff.

"I knew it!" he said smugly, then turned to face the whole Hall, beaming. "I knew that would happen!"

Even from across the Hall, Evie could see Sirius laughing at the Gryffindor table by Lily.

Longbottom, Frank, was also made a Hufflepuff as Gilderoy Lockhart made his way proudly over to his new table, where he was greeted by a plump-looking ghost in a monk's habit, then Lupin, Remus, the boy who'd been standing in front of Evie in the line, became another Gryffindor.

"Padmore, Roxanne," Professor McGonagall pronounced, and Evie's stomach gave a lurch. They were up to the P's, the last letter before Q.

"RAVENCLAW!" the Hat shouted out jovially.

"Pettigrew, Peter."

Her heart was thumping far to fast, making it hard to breathe.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

What would they do if she just turned and ran out of the Hall, simply ran away so she wouldn't have to face the humiliation of being the first student in Hogwarts history who didn't belong in any house?

"Potter, James."

If only her feet would move! If only a hole would appear in the floor beneath her so she would fall in and never be seen again! If only she could turn invisible, or die right then and there!

"GRYFFINDOR!"

She watched as James jumped up from the stool and crossed the Hall to sit down next to a scowling Lily.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. Straightened her parchment. Moved her spectacles a little farther up her nose. Opened her lips and finally said the dreaded words.

"Quay, Evangeline."

Her legs seemed utterly detached from her body. Before they wouldn't obey her, now they only took orders from Professor McGonagall. Heart still beating wildly, Evie was borne, trembling, up to the stool, where her legs immediately gave out and she sat down hard onto the circular wooden seat. The Hat descended over her eyes, caught momentarily on her nose and ears before slipping down to rest on her shoulders.

"Fascinating . . . " a soft voice murmured in her ear, making her jump. "Truly fascinating. You could do well in any of the houses, but I sense that there is only one in which you will succeed. But which to choose?"

_Any house, any house at all! _she thought desperately.

"Oh, no. It can't be just any house, that won't do for you at all. Let's see . . . hmm . . . you're not afraid to work hard, plenty of loyalty, but there's something about you that simply wouldn't do for Hufflepuff. I sense a thirst, almost a desperation to prove yourself to this man . . . your father? Ah yes, I remember him. Very clever, but a bit cold."

_Anywhere at all, please! _

"You might do well in Slytherin with that ambition, yes, but it springs too much from the heart for their subtle machinations. Hmm . . . a loving heart, prepared to do anything for those you care for, Gryffindor instincts if I ever saw them . . . but almost as if to counteract it, a shrinking shyness, the wish to keep to yourself and never risk your heart by loving another again . . . this father of yours again. He has fouled things up, now. But I see that you've inherited his brains, along with your mother's knack for memorization. You might do best in Ravenclaw, after all."

Her heart gave a leap. What would please her father more then hearing that, although she had failed him with the Sight, she had followed him into Ravenclaw, where only the brightest, sharpest students were sorted?

"But," whispered the Sorting Hat in her ear, making her heart sink. Not Ravenclaw, then. "For all you might fit in, excel in a quiet, lonely, bookish way, that's not what you need, my dear. Still, the choice is difficult to make, maybe the most difficult I've ever seen. You are full to the brim with contradictions, Evangeline Violet Quay.

"But -- yes. I think it would be for the best -- you'll have the most to learn in --

"GRYFFINDOR!"

It roared this last word out to the whole Hall, and Evie felt her stomach lurch once more. With trembling fingers, she lifted the Hat off her head and stumbled, blushing scarlet, toward the applauding Gryffindor table. She wished they wouldn't . . . it made it even harder for her to keep her face up. Impossible, she discovered, as her eyes drifted to her feet as though by some magnetic pull.

Somehow she managed to slid onto the bench next to Lily before burying her face in her hands. Impatiently, Lily tugged at one of her arms until her hand slid away.

"Ramsey, Brentt," Professor McGonagall said.

"What did the Hat say to you?" Lily asked eagerly. "You were under there for ages! Must have been more then five minutes.

"I--it, that is," Evie stammered.

"RAVENCLAW!" the Hat declared.

"Congratulations, Evangeline," said a prefect, leaning over to shake her hand.

"Th-thank you," she managed as Rennolds, Hilaria made her way to the stool.

"I'm glad you're in this house," Lily said warmly. "I--

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat belted out, and all conversation was temporarily rendered impossible in the storm of cheering.

When it died down, Lily continued, "I just hope my friend Severus makes Gryffindor. He said that his whole family's been Slytherin, though."

"So've mine," said Sirius," And look where I ended up. But I hope that rotter Snivellus isn't in Gryffindor."

Lily glared at him, then at James who was laughing.

"Hello," said Hilaria Rennolds, plunking herself down at the table. "I'm Ria."

"Hello," called a fair-haired, dark-eyed girl from the other side of the table, next to Peter Pettigrew. Evie remembered seeing her sorted; the hat had barely touched her head before shouting out 'GRYFFINDOR!'.

"Kathleen McCune," she introduced herself. "Call me Katy."

The first years chattered cheerfully among themselves, with occasional interjections from nearby returning students, either to pop or to inflate the more far fetched tales that were told. Lily let out a hiss of disappointment when Snape, Severus was placed in Slytherin.

Soon they were joined by Godiva St John, who immediately declared that anyone who called her anything other then 'Iva' would have their head bitten off.

Evie shrank back in her seat. The rest of the new Gryffindors were so loud, so noisy, so boisterous. She couldn't seem to bring herself to do anything but stutter incoherently whenever she was asked a question, and blush a little more deeply.

With a final declaration of, "Younge, Cameron." "HUFFLEPUFF!" the noise began to die down, and a very tall, very thin man with a silvery beard got to his feet from his seat at the staff table.

Silence fell as everyone waited for the headmaster to make his speech.

* * *

A/N: I just wanted to thank you all for the reviews. They were so encouraging! Thanks a million.

-Sabine.


	4. First Year

While she was packing her trunk, preparatory to leaving America once more for her sixth year at Hogwarts, Evie found a small, leather-bound book. Over the summer, she'd almost forgotten about it. A small smile crept onto her face as she opened the first page and began to read.

_September 9, 1971_

_I have decided to keep a diary of all the important things that have, or will have, happened to me here, at Hogwarts. So far, only one thing out of the ordinary has happened to me (unless I were to count Peeves nearly toppling a candelabra onto my head)._

_It was the first Charms class I'd ever had. I was sitting near the back, waiting for the rest of the class to arrive, since I didn't want to sit in the Great Hall any longer then I had to. That Bella Black, a Slytherin, was being awful to me, so I ran out of the Hall trying not to cry. _

_If I had any of the courage Gryffindors are supposed to have, I would have stayed and stuck up for myself, but I just couldn't. She was teasing me about being shy, which only made things worse._

Evie could still remember Bellatrix's sneering face as she said those hateful words.

"Poor stupid thing, she's so idiotically shy that the Sorting Hat just called out the first house it could think of when she put it on. If it hadn't been quick, she'd have been out of the Great Hall and running before it could so much as open its mouth. God, you must be as red as a roasted lobster, Quay."

_So I was sitting at the back of the Charms room, and all of the other students came in after a while, then Professor Flitwick came out of his office and climbed up his stack of books. He took attendance, then began telling us about what charms are and how they're different from other spells, when Sirius Black and James Potter came in, late. _

_I have found out since then that Bella Black is Sirius's cousin. When Sirius teases someone (he teases all the other girls. I don't think he even remembers my name. Lily Evans says I'm lucky that he and James leave me alone, and she is probably right. I would only blush and stammer, like I always do). -- when he teases, he isn't hateful like Bellatrix. _

_Sirius and James managed to smile and charm (they don't need the class) their way out of trouble, and took the only seats left -- James the one farthest from the window and Sirius the one by me. _

_Professor Flitwick told us some more about charms and what we'd be learning that year, when I began to feel very strange. Its only happened that way twice before. Usually my visions don't even cause me to stumble, but then my eyes seemed to shut of their own accord, and the last thing I remember before I was pulled under was falling sideways out of my chair and landing hard on the classroom floor._

Evie absently rubbed her shoulder, recalling the enormous bruise she'd had the next day in that exact spot.

_I Saw into a cottage. 'Hovel' might be a better word actually. The girl, the one I've seen before, was there, and so was the boy who was in my second vision. I couldn't hear anything but a roaring in my ears. I only saw them for a moment. The girl had her long black hair tied back in a braid, like I normally do, and there was a bruise shadowing her cheek. The boy was standing over her, and it looked like she was crying._

_Then it was gone again, and I had the most awful prickling sensation all over my skin. When I opened my eyes, there was Professor Flitwick, bending over me with a concerned expression. I think my face went red again._

_"I-I'm s-sorr-ry, Prof-fessor," I stuttered, but he waved a hand to stop me. _

_"Hospital Wing, I think, my dear," he said. "Mr. Black, will you be so kind as to escort her there? I trust you know the way."_

_Sirius smiled. "I _think _so, sir," he said in a voice that made me wonder if he'd slept at all last night or gone exploring all over the castle. _

_I got up and followed Sirius out of the classroom. He really did know the way. As we walked, he asked my name, and for a moment I had the oddest feeling._

Evie could remember that clearly, too. She'd been overwhelmed for a split second by the feeling that she was teetering on the edge of a precipice, and whether she fell or not depended on her answer. Of course it had been stupid, just the aftermath of the vision. But sometimes she wondered, when she lay in bed at night, unable to sleep, what would have happened if she'd answered differently . . .

_I told him it was Evangeline Quay. I don't know why I didn't say Evie. I just couldn't seem to get it to come out of my mouth. Father would be pleased, anyway. He says that pet names are for people who don't have the character to live up to the names that they were born with. _

_Madam Pomfery checked me for anything wrong, but she didn't find anything. If I weren't so Merlin-cursed shy, I might have told her about my visions. _

_But I am, so I didn't._

_October 13, 1971_

_I got one hundred percent on my Tranfiguration homework. When I owled Father, though, he said I should be getting one hundreds on all my homework. _

_I will just have to work harder. _

_October 30, 1971_

_Today I have learned the Hythriope Hex. Next time Bella Black says something mean to me, I'll prove that I deserve to be in Gryffindor by using it on her._

_November 5, 1971_

_I didn't use the hex. When Bellatrix called me a blood traitor in the History of Magic corridor, I drew my wand and said, "H-hyth-thropus," not 'hythriopeus' like I should have. Sparks shot out of the end of my wand, setting my robes on fire. _

_I will never live down the humiliation of running away from her. Every time I think of her and her Slytherin friends laughing at me, I stammer worse then ever. Lily says that I aught to just ignore them. I wish I could. No, I wish they'd just ignore me._

_November 10, 1971_

_I had another vision today in Astronomy. Just the girl this time, standing by a well crying again. She looked older. I wonder why she's always so sad._

_Professor Sinistra thinks I have weak blood. I think that Flitwick told the rest of the staff what happened that other time. _

_December 7, 1971_

_I made a perfect Appetite Elixir in Potions today. Professor Slughorn awarded me ten points to Gryffindor. I've never earned any points before._

_January 14, 1972_

_Christmas was very lonely. I didn't feel like writing then. Father sent me a book on Transfiguration and a note from my aunt. _

_I don't know which is worse, when the other Gryffindors ignore me or when the don't._

_January 27, 1972_

_I think I'm turning invisible. All I do is watch other people doing things, now, and study hard for my lessons. No one else has such good grades, but no one else is as lonely as I am, either. _

_You don't have to be lonely to do well in classes, though. Sirius and James are really good, the both of them, and they hardly ever study at all. They and their fiends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew are the ones I like to watch the best. They call themselves the Marauders, and they get into such trouble. Lily doesn't like them, though. They are always jinxing her friend Severus Snape._

Turning the page, Evie wondered just why Lily had liked Snape so much. His misdeeds were getting darker, and she still turned a blind eye, for all she never spoke to him anymore. Being called 'Mudblood' wasn't something easily forgiven.

_February 6, 1972_

_I had a vision in the common room tonight. It was longer then they've ever been before, though not by much. Towards the end, I thought I could hear something, like steam hissing out of a kettle almost. _

_March 31, 1972_

_Alice Bowman got hexed by Augustus Flint, a third year, today. She's still in the Hospital Wing.  
_

_May 1, 1972_

_I think I really must be invisible. Lily is the only person who speaks to me at all, and I can hardly ever bring myself to answer. What's wrong with me? I don't need a nerve like Gilderoy Lockhart's, (or is it just stupidity with him?) just the ability to carry out a normal conversation. _

_Father owled me to say that my cousin Miranda is ill. I think I'll go to bed now. I finished my homework hours ago. I've just been sitting here, watching the Marauders. _

_May 24, 1972_

_It was my birthday five days ago. I've been twelve for five whole days, and I didn't notice. I've been to busy reviewing for final exams to think about anything else. _

_May 29, 1972_

_There was the most awful thing today. James and Sirius got into a bit of a fight with Snape, and then a second year Slytherin, I think his name was Malfoy, stepped in, and things got nasty. Sirius is still in the Hospital wing._

_June 21, 1972_

_Today is the last day of term. I don't know if I'm glad or disappointed. I feel so strange. I don't think I've looked any one in the eye for weeks. _

_I had a vision during the Charms exam. Professor Flitwick very nearly had me finish the test later and go to the Hospital Wing, but I told him (I still don't know how I go the words out, but I'm proud that I did) that it wasn't anything to worry about, because it had happened before. _

_It was the girl again. She was even older then the last time I Saw her, maybe fifteen. And I'm certain that I heard something this time. Just one word. I think it might be a name. It doesn't sound like an incantation. _

_The word was 'Merope.'_


	5. Second Year

_September 1, 1972_

_I'm writing from the Hogwarts Express on the way to school. Father was early taking me to the station, so I have the compartment to myself. It probably won't last, though. _

_I grew quite a bit over the summer; so much that Father had to take me to Diagon Alley (he'd brought me with him to Europe since he had business in Spain right at the end of August) to get new robes. I have freckles all over my nose and cheeks now from sitting out in the sun, reading. I passed all of my exams quite well.  
_

_I didn't have any visions of Merope (I've decided to call her that for now, until I find out if its really her name) during the holiday, only a few of the regular kind that doesn't make me faint. I don't know if I'm glad or disappointed. Part of me hopes that the visions are gone for good. It was awful to have every one staring at me in class after I fainted or collapsed, or Saw, or whatever it should be called. But I also desperately want to know more about Merope. I'm not sure if my motives are all that good, though. She's the only person I've ever met who seemed as lonely as I am. Can you call it 'meeting' if you've only ever seen the person?_

_I'm going to work on not being shy this year. Over the summer, I practiced by looking at myself in the mirror, and saying over and over, "My name is Evangeline Quay." I don't know if it will help, though. I hope --  
_

_The most frightening, wo__nderful thing just happened. The Marauders, all four of them, just walked in and sat down in my compartment! I don't think that the mirror worked. The moment I saw them, I know my face went red and I looked down.  
_

_"Hello," James said. "You're in our year, aren't you."_

_I nodded, trying not to look too terrified. I could already feel my face turning red. _

_"What's your name again?" Sirius asked lazily, lifting his and Remus's trunks up into the luggage rack before flopping down in the window seat across from me._

_"Er, Evangeline__ Quay," I managed. _

_"Did you have a good summer, Evangeline?" Remus said. He'd been talking to Peter Pettigrew outside the compartment, so I don't know if he remembered my name or heard me saying it. I nodded again. _

_I think that after a while, they forgot that I was even there. Invisible Evie. I've never had the chance to watch them at such close quarters before. That makes it sound like they're some sort of exotic beasts that I'm intent on observing or something, but its not like that, not really._

_I think I'll read, now, and listen to the Marauders. Maybe this year will be better then last._

_October 3, 1972_

_I haven't Seen Merope yet. I hope she's alright. _

_That just sounds silly. I don't know where, or when she is. Even if there was something wrong with her, I couldn't do anything about it. _

_Nothing has really happened yet this year. We have a new Defense teacher, since Harvingboom resigned at the end of the summer term. Her name is Heather Bluit, and she seems alright. Lily has been nice, but I suppose its hard to be friends with someone who can only stammer half-replies and bury herself in books. James is the new Gryffindor seeker. For a while, all any one would talk about was the Windspark broom his parents bought for him when the found out. I thing that Mr. and Mrs. Potter might be a bit dazzled by James. From what I've heard, they were rather old when they had him, and like to spoil him a bit. Only Lily thinks that he's been spoiled rotten, though._

_November 7, 1972_

_Gryffindor beat Slytherin in the first Quidditch match of the year. James has been acting like his head weighs fifty pounds ever since. He keeps rumpling up his hair to make it look like he was just on a broom. Katy McCune thinks he's dreamy; Lily thinks he's an idiot; I think that he's a really good seeker, but running his hands through his hair like that all the time makes him look rather silly.  
_

_November 21, 1972_

_I still haven't had a vision of Merope. What's wrong with me?_

_December 25, 1972_

_Happy Christmas, Hogwarts. I was supposed to go home to America, but father got called away and my aunt didn't want to have me. Miranda is still ill, even though they thought she was getting better for a while in August. She has a very rare strain of dragon pox. It isn't contagious, at least.  
_

_Thinking of America, what started toward the end of last year has begun again. My accent is disappearing, or rather, being replaced by and English one. _

_January 21, 1973_

_I had a vision today! I'm both happy and mortified. It happened right as I was walking into the Great Hall for dinner. I was about two paces in when all of a sudden I had that strange, out of focus feeling that always comes with visions of Merope. It happened so fast that I don't even remember falling down. _

_In my vision, Merope was standing in the hovel, by the fire. She was stirring a huge pot filled with some kind of bubbling brown liquid. I don't know whether it was a potion or a stew. The boy was there too, and a man I've never seen before. The boy spoke, and I know that it wasn't English or any sort of human speech at all, but I understood it, somehow._

_The boy said, in that hissing, spitting, snake-ish language, "She was watching him again today, Father." I could see for the first time that his eyes were a little crossed. When I glanced at Merope, I saw that hers were the same, staring in slightly opposed directions out of her rather plain face. _

_The man turned to Merope, and hissed, "Is what Morfin says true, Merope? You've been eying that filthy muggle again?" _

_Merope made a frightened sound. _

_"I'll teach you to disobey me!" the man roared, and struck her across the face. _

_Then I felt the vision starting to lift, my skin prickling and smarting like its always does, after._

_I heard whispers. _

_"Is she alright?"_

_"Has she died?" _

_"Don't be silly, Longbottom! Of course she's not dead."_

_"She just fell over!"_

_Then I heard a voice that I recognized over the murmuring: Lily. "Oh, stop crowding around her like that. Its not going to help. This isn't the first time she's fainted, she'll be alright."_

_"McGonagall's coming over!"_

_I managed to open my eyes. Lily was kneeling next to me, checking the pulse at my wrist. It was pounding very hard. I sat up._

_Professor McGonagall made me go the the Hospital Wing, but like always, there was nothing wrong. _

_I hope that Merope is alright._

_February 18, 1973_

_Bella Black and her sister Narcissa, who's a year older then she is, hexed Lily one the way to Herbology. I put the full body bind on Bellatrix, which I would be very proud of if I didn't get detention for it, but Narcissa used a jinx I don't know yet. It made my legs feel like jelly, like I'd been running up all the stairs in the muggle Eiffel Tower. Someone told Professor Meligrant before we arrived at the lesson, and he's given us all detention, even Lily, which is really unfair. _

_Worst of all, he's going to owl Father about it. I'll be luck not to get a Howler. _

_February 20, 1973_

_Father sent me a note by post this morning. This is all that it said: _

_'Evangeline,_

_You will be appropriately punished for you transgression when you arrive home for the summer holidays. _

_Sincerely,_

_Edmund Quay'_

_I don't know what he means to do to me. I can't remember ever doing anything worse then not eating my green beans at dinner before. _

_February 21, 1973_

_I had my first ever detention last night with Meligrant. Lily was there too. He made us weed the fanged geranium beds. I got bitten seven times, Lily six._

_April 1, 1973_

_Its April Fool's Day, and someone sent Professor McGonagall a bunch if the honking daffodils from the greenhouses. I don't know who was angrier, Meligrant that someone had put his precious plants to such a purpose, or McGonagall that anyone had the nerve to do such a thing to her. _

_April 2, 1973_

_I don't know how, but Professor McGonagall found out that it was the Marauders who sent her the daffodils. I heard Sirius saying that it was worth it in the common room, and James saying that he didn't think that it deserved a full week's detention. Peter seemed up for whatever Sirius and James were (he hero worships them, probably because they never seem to have to try to do anything. They really are quite brilliant with spells, or would be if they could bring themselves to care enough.) Remus just looked mortified. _

_May 19, 1973_

_I'm thirteen today. I think Father forgot to owl me. Or he's still angry about me jinxing Bellatrix Black. I wish I could do something right!  
_

_June 2, 1973_

_I had another vision today. This time, I was alone in the dormitory, so no one made a fuss. _

_Merope was saying goodbye to her father and Morfin (I think he might be her brother). It sounded as if they were going on a long journey, and Merope wouldn't see them for a long time. The man said, "I'll be back in six months time, girl, and you had best behave yourself!"_

_When they were gone, Merope just stood there for the longest moment, staring at her hands. Then she walked over to the fire and began adding things to the cauldron._

_June 5, 1973_

_Katy McCune is getting on my nerves. I wish I had the guts to say so. All she ever talks about is how wonderful James is. If she says one more time how its all down to him that Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup, I think Lily will scream.  
_

_I've been very busy going over my old notes for the exams. They're only a few weeks away, now._

_June 11, 1973_

_I am invisible. I don't have any doubts about it any more. _

_I was sitting in the common room reviewing for History of Magic, and Liam Churchill-Weasley sat on me. He said he was sorry, that he hadn't seen me, and I just nodded. Even if I wasn't too shy to say anything, I wouldn't have had the breath to do it. Liam is a seventh year, and very large._

_June 24, 1973_

_This was the final day of my second year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily said she'd owl me over the summer. Owls! That reminds me, Father hasn't sent me a single letter since that one in February. I don't think that its going to be a very fun summer._

* * *

A/N: Yes, I'm going to be having the diary entries for Evie through fifth year, so that I can hit the high points without getting bogged down. After that, the narrative will go back to normal.

I'm so glad that some of you left reviews! I was getting a bit nervous after chapter three, when no one said anything. Reviews really make my day.

-Sabine


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